Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

2. For the effect of this Birth, Righteousness shall look down from Heaven. No sooner Christ born, but Righteousness looked down from Heaven; she cast her eye upon Earth, and seeing Truth freshly sprung there, she looked and looked again; certainly it was a sight to draw all the eyes of Heaven to it. It is said of the Angels that they desired to look into these things: they looked wishly at them,¹ as if they would look through them: no question but Righteousness looked as narrowly and piercingly as the Angels. Some observe that the Hebrew word, she looked down, signifies that she beat out a window; so desirous was Righteousness to behold the sight of the Vine Budding, of Christ being born, that she beats out a Window in Heaven: before this time, she would not so much as look down towards the Earth: Righteousness had no prospect, no window open this way: she turned away her eyes, and clapped to the Casement, and would not abide so much as to look on such sinful wretches, forlorn sinners as we are; her eye was purer than to behold Iniquity, she abhorred it, and us for it: and therefore would not vouchsafe us once to cast off her eye. O but now the case is altered: no sooner doth our Vine Bud upon the Earth, but she is willing to condescend, and so willing, that she breaks a Window through the Walls of Heaven to look down upon this Bud: and no marvel: for, what could Righteousness desire to see, and satisfy her self in, that was not to be seen in Jesus Christ? He was all righteous, there was not the least spot of sin to be found in him: his Birth was clean, and his Life was holy, and his Death was innocent; both his Soul and Body were without all sin; both his Spirit and his Mouth were without all guile; whatsoever satisfaction Righteousness would have, she might have it in him, lay Judgment to the Line, and Righteousness to the Balance, and there is nothing in Jesus but Straight for the Line, and full Weight for the Balance.

2. For the effect of this Birth, Righteousness shall look down from Heaven. No sooner Christ born, but Righteousness looked down from Heaven; she cast her eye upon Earth, and seeing Truth freshly sprung there, she looked and looked again; certainly it was a sight to draw all the eyes of Heaven to it. It is said of the Angels that they desired to look into these things: they looked wishly at them,¹ as if they would look through them: no question but Righteousness looked as narrowly and piercingly as the Angels. Some observe that the Hebrew word, she looked down, signifies that she beat out a window; so desirous was Righteousness to behold the sight of the Vine Budding, of Christ being born, that she beats out a Window in Heaven: before this time, she would not so much as look down towards the Earth: Righteousness had no prospect, no window open this way: she turned away her eyes, and clapt to the Casement, and would not abide so much as to look on such sinful wretches, forlorn sinners as we are; her eye was purer than to behold Iniquity, she abhorred it, and us for it: and therefore would not vouchsafe us once to cast off her eye. O but now the case is altered: no sooner doth our Vine Bud upon the Earth, but she is willing to condescend, and so willing, that she breaks a Window through the Walls of Heaven to look down upon this Bud: and nomarvail: for, what could Righteousness desire to see, and satifie her self in, that was not to be seen in Jesus Christ? He was all righteous, there was not the least spot of sin to be found in him: his Birth was clean, and his Life was holy, and his Death was innocent; both his Soul and Body were without all sin; both his Spirit and his Mouth were without all guile; whatsoever satisfaction Righteousness would have, she might have it in him, lay Judgment to the Line, and Righteousness to the Balance, and there is nothing in Jesus but Streight for the Line, and full Weight for the Balance.